My journey as a single adoptive mom to two teenage boys who spent years in foster care and a toy dachshund puppy, a westie mix, and a shepherd mix. Some might consider our home a combination of homeless shelter, fraternity house, and humane society. I call it home.

No catching you all up...although there is much to be said...just jumping in where we are yesterday and today.

Middle Boy has been doing a fairly good job staying caught up in school. His only missing assignment is a syllabus that I need to sign. Pretty good for three weeks into the school year. There are a lot of factors playing into it. He has to pay for part of his insurance and it increases if he has missing assignments. He may be finally starting to understand that your grades in high school matter.

Younger Boy...whole different story. A MESS. Lying about homework every day again. Was re-writing all of his IEP holders notes in his assignment notebook. She is on to him and he was busted by her earlier this week. Today I got an email that he is sleeping in class...chorus to be exact. I don't get it. There is NO WAY he is that tired. NO WAY.

I have traveled the majority of the last four or five weeks for work. All of the trips to Texas. Boarder did fairly well with the boys, but Younger Boy was NOT GOOD for him at all.

We discussed it in therapy. Both of Younger Boy's therapists said that makes no sense. He should be an "angel" when I am not present.

They (and I) have pretty much deduced that he is no longer traumatized, but instead INCREDIBLY NAUGHTY. I wish I had time to cite all of the examples of why we have concluded this.

Is ther still trauma affecting him? You bet, but his behavior...pure naughtiness.